Focus: Telecom

ViaSat (www.viasat.com) said it is supplying its Surfbeam broadband satellite network to Telesat (www.telesat.ca), enabling Telesat customers in Colombia to provide Internet access to schools and other projects. Telesat customers Comsat Colombia and Internet por Colombia will be the service providers for the network, which is part of the Compartel Social Telephony Program, a national...

Blue Sky Network (www.blueskynetwork.com) announced a new satellite-based panel-mounted control head for aircraft. The ACH1000 offers cockpit integrated voice capabilities and short code messaging to its D1000-series global satellite flight tracking products. The system uses the Iridium Satellite LLC constellation for satellite connectivity.

Delphi Corp. (www.delphi.com) delivered the first shipment of the new DS300 satellite transceiver modem to Stellar Satellite Communications. The modem, aimed at the asset-tracking market, delivers data via the Orbcomm (www.orbcomm.com) satellite network. Data is sent from the modem to a data center and then to the subscribing company to provide up-to-date information on the...

Mobile Satellite Services provider MVS (www.mvsusa.com) introduced a new ship tracking solution that uses the Iridium Satellite LLC satellite constellation for short-burst data transmissions. The system provides real-time vessel monitoring and e-mail communications for ships at sea. Subscribers can view the status and location specified vessels at sea using a Web-enabled user interface with built-in...

By Gerry Oberst In the last days of December, the European Union was poised to adopt rules on data traffic retention that telecommunications providers must save for law enforcement purposes – rules that could cost some satellite operators and service providers very substantial amounts of time and money. Remarkably, for a continent that highlights its...

by Nick Mitsis As the CEO of Arianespace, Jean-Yves Le Gall shepherded the European launch services company in 2005 through one of the most challenging periods it has faced since its inception 25 years ago. Arianespace entered 2005 at its lowest point and ended the year on a significant high note, all while building its...

By Jason Bates The first deregulation efforts in Africa helped establish VSAT networks as one of the leading communications solutions across the continent. Companies such as Gilat and Hughes Network Systems established strong footholds in Africa by providing telephony services using VSAT networks. But industry efforts to increase the size of the VSAT market across...

IP VPN (Internet Protocol Virtual Private Network) via satellite is a distinct application targeted specifically at the large, small and medium enterprise (SME), and small office/home office (SoHo) sectors. A number of satellite operators, as well as terrestrial IP VPN players, currently are implementing IP VPN via satellite solutions in order to facilitate stronger solutions...

Thrane & Thrane Inc. (www.tt.dk) unveiled its Sailor VMS Systems, which provides global connectivity for commercial fisherman on Inmarsat-C, a network for safety at sea and global maritime communications. Thrane & Thrane is a VMS vendor approved by the U.S. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). Its systems work nationally,...

By Peter J. Brown Consumers want more control over their time and their content. Broadcasters are responding by making their content available on demand using a variety of distribution channels including DBS and broadband. While the satellite industry knows the boundaries well and accepts that true on-demand delivery is off limits, at least for now,...